An 80-year-old American tourist died when an elephant attacked a car with six passengers during a weekend safari in Kafue National Park in western Zambia.
Another tourist injured during the incident was evacuated to a hospital.
An 80-year-old American tourist died when an elephant attacked a car with six passengers during a weekend safari in Kafue National Park in western Zambia.
The others were injured; one of the passengers was evacuated to a hospital in South Africa.
A video of the tragically-ended expedition was posted on social media. It shows an elephant charging at a car with tourists.
It is a vehicle typical of the African bush with a canvas roof hanging over the heads of the passengers.
The elephant approached the car, ignored the driver’s shouts to scare it away and rolled the vehicle on its side.
“Our guides are well trained and experienced, but in this case the terrain and vegetation meant the guide’s route was blocked and he could not get the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough,” said Keith Vincent, CEO of Wilderness, the safari operator.
Quoted by Zambian Observer, Vincent assured that the park management was immediately informed and sent a helicopter to the scene of the incident.
The park, located on the Kafue River, is the oldest and largest national park in Zambia. About 30,000 people live in this southern African country.
